LED hightlights

[Simmo11]

I have adjusted mine for height by pulling up to a level wall then adjusting them so that the dip beam height stays in the same position (or goes down slightly, but not up) as you reverse away from the wall.
They seem a lot better now as they were not high enough.

 

[GEOge]

thanks easybreeze80

 

[jcbmally]

I don't have washer with LED - no issues... I've yet to find a car where they really did much unless you had wet mud flicking up at you, the jets won't get rid of weeks of road grime. IMO just save the money.

I have the headlight washers and it clears grime from mine no probs (even after 3 weeks) It does depend on the quality of screen wash you put in too.

 

[gartner]

I have adjusted mine for height by pulling up to a level wall then adjusting them so that the dip beam height stays in the same position (or goes down slightly, but not up) as you reverse away from the wall.
They seem a lot better now as they were not high enough.

Can you describe what excactly did you do to raise the beam? I also find the low beam too low.

 

[gartner]

Delete

 

[Oliverr]

On a drive home last night from the dealers (first night drive) I would say they are as good as, if not better than my Audi A3's bi-xenons..

However, I feel they are pointing a little too South so might try adjusting them tonight


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[gartner]

Lost my nerves with these lights right now. The left one raises only to a certain level and then it wont raise anymore. Plus the trick is that the left one is raised clockwise and the right one counter clockwise. Anyway, I did raise a little bit the left one,the right one didn't need much adjustment,so I dropped it down again after I raised it. It was just too much if I compared both of them. Too bad,the left one wont go up a little bit more but the right one does.

Edit: well, I gave it another try and it turned out that the surface I was on, wasn't quite right. So I had to do it all over again. The left one was actually to high now, and I thought it's too low: I had to adjust it down a little and the right one a little higher, excatly opposite to what I was doing before. Now the low beams are projected much further than before, I don't know why they point them so low in the factory.

 

[drykoke]

People perceive and describe light in different ways, which probably accounts for the lack of consensus in this forum regarding merits of the Leon LED.

Intensity/colour temperature - most of us would agree that LED lights are bright and white.

Reach or distance illuminated - some people (including myself) feel that the dipped beam works pretty well in lighting up the short/medium distance areas . However, there seem to be major concerns about the long-distance reach of the dipped beam (which is the typical scenario on a UK road with lots of oncoming traffic).

Benchmark or comparator used. The best xenons I have ever had were Osram Silverstar +30% in my E46 BMW. Regretfully, the Leon LEDs are nowhere near as good.
Before that, I had OEM xenons, and I would say that Leon LEDs are close, but not quite as good as that.
And even further back, I had an E39 BMW with halogen headlights, and I can confidently say that the Leon LEDs are much better.

Personally, I'm not too comfortable with the lack of distance illumination, and I will try to follow the advice on this forum regarding adjusting the height.

 

[Seastormer]

All this adjusting of the headlights, might make them illegal, as when setting them up they should be done a certain distance from a wall with the correct markings on, as used by a MOT station. If not then how do you know they are correct and if stopped by your local boys in blue and sent to the MOT station for test, a fine could be looming.

 

[gartner]

All this adjusting of the headlights, might make them illegal, as when setting them up they should be done a certain distance from a wall with the correct markings on, as used by a MOT station. If not then how do you know they are correct and if stopped by your local boys in blue and sent to the MOT station for test, a fine could be looming.

I used an undergroung parking garage. I found a nice dark place with a big flat wall, used a meter, marker and the screwdriver. I faced the wall at a minimum distance, marked the height and backed off from the wall 10m and adjusted the beam. Backed off another 10 m and adjusted again, backed off another 20 meters and checked if both beams are fading away towards the ground together. Did this again while closing to the markings on the wall again from 40 to 0 meters to check for consistensy of left and right beam. Backed up 40 meters again and checked if there is some sort of blinding , standing at the wall, 40 meters from the car. I even put my head closer to the ground, that I mark where the shining of the bulb/led occurs and it must occur at the same level for both sides. I shines at me me at ca. 50 cm from the ground at a distance of 40 meters, that's a height in which no driver is ever positined when driving towards you. I repeat this whole procedure quite a couple of times before I'm certain that it is the final setting for me.

I use this method with all the cars and I never had any problems with the law, nobody flashes me at night.

 

[Simmo11]

Hi Gartner, your explanation is a lot better than mine! As you say as long as the beam is not rising on dipped beam you will have no trouble with the law.

 

[dephead2004]

Lost my nerves with these lights right now. The left one raises only to a certain level and then it wont raise anymore. Plus the trick is that the left one is raised clockwise and the right one counter clockwise. Anyway, I did raise a little bit the left one,the right one didn't need much adjustment,so I dropped it down again after I raised it. It was just too much if I compared both of them. Too bad,the left one wont go up a little bit more but the right one does.

Edit: well, I gave it another try and it turned out that the surface I was on, wasn't quite right. So I had to do it all over again. The left one was actually to high now, and I thought it's too low: I had to adjust it down a little and the right one a little higher, excatly opposite to what I was doing before. Now the low beams are projected much further than before, I don't know why they point them so low in the factory.

Please could you confirm your adjusting instructions especially defining left and right in terms of in the drivers seat or under bonnet. Thanks

 

[gartner]

Please could you confirm your adjusting instructions especially defining left and right in terms of in the drivers seat or under bonnet. Thanks

I was defining left and right from te driver's view, from the seat.

So the left one(from the driver's view) was raised by turning the philps clockwise and the right one was raised by turning it counter clockwise.

Was this the answer to your question?

 

[dephead2004]

Yep that's the ticket thanks. Much better instructions than the other site I quoted

 

[gartner]

Yep that's the ticket thanks. Much better instructions than the other site I quoted

No problem,. I hope it's the same for LHD and RHD, mine is LHD.

 

[McDubber1]

Does anyone else get flashed constantly by other cars when on dipped beam? We do and wife is starting to get irritated by it. They're self levelling arnt they so should adjust themselves to the correct level? I've never noticed any adjusters anywhere. I think I'll take a trip to the dealer and get them to look at them to make sure they are functioning properly.

 

[yellowcone87]

Does anyone else get flashed constantly by other cars when on dipped beam? We do and wife is starting to get irritated by it. They're self levelling arnt they so should adjust themselves to the correct level? I've never noticed any adjusters anywhere. I think I'll take a trip to the dealer and get them to look at them to make sure they are functioning properly.

Yeah I've noticed quite a few drivers flashing their lights at me lately too. It is really annoying. You are correct, the Led headlights are self levelling. There's nothing wrong with the lights at all, but I think because they are much whiter than folk are used to that they perceive them to be brighter and therefore think you've left your full beam on. I've taken to flashing them back.

 

[dephead2004]

There is an adjustment . See post 37 above and following

 

[brentnall]

Does anyone else get flashed constantly by other cars when on dipped beam?

A friend of mine gets this all the time in his 5 series with Xenons too, I think most people are just still too used to seeing dim halogen which makes Xenons and LED's look crazy bright in comparison. I noticed it happens mostly when travelling uphill, as people coming the opposite direction are getting the lights shone up into their eyes.

I've taken to flashing them back.

hah yup, started doing that also now... probably blinds them

 

[Seastormer]

A friend of mine gets this all the time in his 5 series with Xenons too, I think most people are just still too used to seeing dim halogen which makes Xenons and LED's look crazy bright in comparison. I noticed it happens mostly when travelling uphill, as people coming the opposite direction are getting the lights shone up into their eyes.



hah yup, started doing that also now... probably blinds them

Me too, but at least they then know you were on dipped.